President Trump Uses Qatari-Donated Jet as Air Force One for First Time

President Trump traveled Wednesday from Joint Base Andrews to North Dakota aboard a Boeing 747-8 jet donated by the Qatari government. This marked the first presidential use of the aircraft in its role as Air Force One. The jet replaces a 747-200 that has been in service since 1990.

Officials said the older plane will remain until three new VC-25B aircraft are delivered in 2028. The plane had completed commissioning flights the previous week before entering presidential service. During the trip the president participated in a train ride and welcome ceremony tied to America's 250th anniversary and visited the Teddy Roosevelt Presidential Library.

White House officials posted social media messages marking the retirement of the older aircraft. Three 747-800s are being modified for the presidential fleet, including the Qatari-donated jet. Speaking before departure, President Trump said the United States could not build a comparable plane because it would not spend the necessary funds.

"This will be the first flight of what I think is maybe the greatest commercial plane ever built," he said. "I'm excited about the first flight. Nobody's ever seen anything like it," he added. "They just completed it, they made it appropriate for a president — that means the security and all the different bells and whistles they put on — very complex stuff.

The president stated the upgrades cost taxpayers very little compared with alternative approaches and called the jet a gift from a country that has treated the United States well. He noted the previous plane was more than 30 years old and said it would not look appropriate next to newer aircraft. "So we're really proud of this," he said.